


The Currents That Carry Us

by FictionalDragonMother



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), BAMF Mermaids will wreck. your. shit., Mermaid Au!, Multi, Protective!Max, Protective!Nikki, all of them - Freeform, lil nerds, ratings may change as things are gonna get b l o o d y
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 02:23:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13448529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalDragonMother/pseuds/FictionalDragonMother
Summary: Neil had never fit in. Be it his odd colouring or his anti-social behaviour, he always felt ostracized from his pod. But at least he was safe from the dangers of the Northern Deep.But when a wicked storm seperates him from his pod and injures him, Neil finds himself alone and afraid, until some Northerners find him, and he slowly but surely falls in love as the trio sets off in search of the King and Queen to warn them of a newly discovered threat.





	1. The Storm

Ever since he was born, Neil had been different.

In more ways than one too. He had a strange colouring, extra fins, and he was anti-social. All in all not good things for a dolphin mer to have. And yet, despite all of this, his pod hadn't kicked him out. His dad was the most supportive, but even then, he could tell that even he wished that Neil had been born normal.

All of the other pod memebers had tails that looked relatively the same, vairying shades of grey with white underbellys. He was a light gold that faded into pink, with a black underbelly and blotches of white all over. He had all of the normal fins a dolphin mer would have, but he had two frilly extra ones at his sides,his tail ended with frills and he had a frill on each arm, running from his wrist to his elbow. The frills were a almost translucent white that faded out into gold, sprinkled with small pink spots that shone in the sun.

So you could see how he would stand out.

And because of his oddities, he was inevitably picked on by the other teens. Ever since he could remember, Ruphous and Nurf seemed insistant on tormenting him. They would both physically assault him, but Ruphous always went a step further, name calling, degrading, insulting and tormenting him mentally. Ruphous was the one that would do things that he knew scared Neil, like ramming him off of the edge of a reef into open water, flinging urchins at him, or worst of all, driving him into a dark place. Neil hated the dark, and feared it more than almost anything else. The darkness was what hid the horrors of the deep. The only thing he feared more was being alone and storms.

Unfortunately, a storm was exactly what was happening right now.

 

Neil beat his tail, desperately trying to keep up. A storm had caught the whole pod by surprise, and it was _bad. _No one had ever seen a storm of this magnitude, and the waves were going crazy. Another powerful wave crashed down onto him, and Neil felt himself momentarily stunned. He shook his head and tried to continue, but another wave, one that was even more powerful, bore down on the poor merman. He cried out for help, but his cry was cut short by the black water going into his throat. The wave disoriented him, so much so that he didnt see the rock until it was to late.__

SMACK

 

Neil crashed face first into a rocky tower. He felt a sting on his cheek, and through his blured vision he saw the water turn red. He also saw that the tower was now falling towards him. In a panic, Neil thrashed his tail, accidentally ramming it into the rocky column. His eyes widened as he felt a sharp pain in his tail and his sides. He heard a _crunch _and pain flared in his chest, hot and searing. But his bad luck wasn't over yet. One finally rock fell from the tower just as a wave came crashing down. It bashed him on the head, and everything went black.__


	2. A Shimmering Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki finds something, or rather someone, interesting.

Nikki darted forward with a burst of speed, catching the silver fish in her claws. She tor into it, wolfing down the juicy meat of the salmon. Once she was done, she dropped the skeleton, watching as it slowly descended into the oceans depths. Carrying on, she looked around, searching for anything exiting.

Last night, a huge storm had battered her and Max, forcing them to go deeper than she liked, but the surface was to dangerous, even for them. The only upsides to storms, she figured, was all the cool stuff they swept around. Just today she had found 2 "floaties", as she had heard them called. They had been fun, until she had accidentally popped them.

The leopard seal mer flipped over, staring up at the sun shining through the water. As she swam, she suddenly smelt something familiar. Blood. She flipped back over and glanced around. Her eyes locked onto something draped over some rocks. It was a fin, torn and bleeding from various areas.

Cautiously, she slowly swam closer, body tense. She peeked over the rocks and gasped. There, unconscious and bleeding, was the _shiniest _mer Nikki had ever seen. His tail resembled a dolphin's, but it was a shimmering gold that faded into a pale sunset pink.__

__His tail fin was a translucent white that ended with a lighter gold and sprinkled with pink freckles. He had two sets of fins, one that was akin to a dolphin's, the other was more like that of a fish, but the ends were pointed and sharp._ _

__His skin was pale, but that was probably in part due to the blood loss. He was covered in cuts and scrapes, but she could see faint marks that weren't so recent. He had a large gash across his forehead, but the cut that most concerned her was the one on his ribcage. It was gushing blood, horribly bruised, and she could see bits of rock embedded in it._ _

__If she left him here, he would most certainly die. Be it bleeding to death, drowning or being found by another predator, he wouldn't last. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to help this shimmering stranger._ _

__Gently, she reached under his arms and hoisted him up, laughing as his soft brown hair tickled her neck. She beat her powerful tail upwards, struggling slightly with the weight of the other mer. For someone so skinny, he was pretty heavy! Breaching the surface, she pulled his head above the water. The strange mer took a shuddering breath, and opened his eyes. He reeled back and screamed, causing Nikki to drop him out of fright. She hadn't expected him to wake up!_ _

__She ducked back under the water, only to see the merman clutching his chest in pain. He stared at her in terrified panic, and his dilated pupils turned to slits. He bared his fangs, but it was obvious he was in no condition to fight. Nikki swam a little closer, and the merman hissed weakly, wincing as he did so. The hiss turned into a hacking cough, and the mer shuddered, curling into himself._ _

__After a moment, his ice blue eyes locked with hers, and he sighed. "If you're going to kill me, please make it fast." he said quietly. Nikki shook her head. "I'm not trying to kill you, I'm trying to help you!" she said, swimming up to him. The merman stared at her with wide eyes. "Why?" he asked in that same quiet voice. Nikki shrugged, truthfully not knowing. "I don't really know. But i do know that you wont last much longer like that. So i need you to follow me, my friend Max knows how to treat serious wounds." she said, tugging on his arm._ _

__The mer starred at her, trying to see if this was a trick, but eventually relented and let himself be pulled along, weakly beating his tail. Nikki smiled, glad that he was cooperating. "My names Nikki, whats yours?" she asked cheerfully. The mer paused, unsure if he should reveal his name, before sighing._ _

__"Its Neil."_ _


	3. Max

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki takes her new friend to Max. Can the gruff shark help our injured boy?

Max driffed quietly, tail barely making a ripple in the water. The sunbeams warmed his back, and he was grateful for the warmth. Nikki could provide _some _, but even she was still cold as the icy waters the had come from. He fiddled with the bracelet wrapped around his wrist, feeling the small pearls woven in. Nikki had made it for him. It was made of a rare type of seaweed that only grew near active volcanoes, and it was a blood red in colour. In return, he had made her a bracelet out of a strong type of light brown sea grass, with one of his teeth at the end. Having a shark tooth ment that you had either beaten one, or you were in very close company with one, so not many mers wanted to fight Nikki.__

__Speaking of Nikki, he wondered where she had swam off too. She had said something about looking for washed out objects, but he hadn't really been paying attention. He had been to busy angrily fixing their nest, which had been destroyed during the storm._ _

__Max began gathering some more grasses. May as well fortify it a bit, just in case. As he was gathering, he heard a familiar voice._ _

__"Max! Grab the healing salve and the seaweed!" Nikki called out._ _

__Max dropped the grass he had been holding and swam over to Nikki with a burst of speed, water churning as he beat his tail back and forth. He stopped when he saw that Nikki wasn't the injured one._ _

__In Nikki's arms was a pale mer, who looked like he had just been through hell. Max couldn't figure out for the life of him what exactly this stranger was, some sort of hybrid it seemed, which surprised Max. He had figured that he was the only one. The hybrid was bleeding in various places, but the wound that concerned him the most was the one on his chest. It was large, and seemed to have rocks embedded in it. The mer's fins wer limp, colours faded. It was clear he needed help._ _

__"Okay, bring him over by the nest, and for fuck sakes don't drop him. I'll go get the stuff." Max instructed._ _

__Nikki gave a one handed mock salute before gently pulling the strange mer over towards the nest. Max turned and swam towards a small pile of rocks a few feet from the nest. He moved a few of the stones aside until he found the medicine pouch. It was made from whale skin, and was quite useful. He grabbed the pouch and swam over to Nikki. The mer,it seemed, had passed out. That was good, considering how much this particular salve was known to sting. He had traded some skulls and herbs for it, and it worked fairly well._ _

__The first wound Max tended to was the wound on the mer's chest. Using his claws, he picked out the bits of rock. He felt the ribs around the area, and couldn't feel a break. It was most likely slightly cracked, so he wouldn't tie the seaweed to tight. Reaching into the pouch he pulled out the salve container. It was a puffed up blowfish that had been dried and the spines removed. He took of the coral cork and grabbed some of the sticky liquid. He stuck out his tounge at the feeling. It was very slimy, and Nikki hated it because it clumped up her fur._ _

__He smeared it onto the wound, and was surprised by how _warm _the mer felt. Max almost leaned into the warmth, instinctively drawn towards it. He shook his head and pulled back, reaching for the seaweed. As he wrapped the wound, he saw Nikki licking the smaller cuts, cleaning them. Nikki was the only one of them that could, because if Max tried, he might lose himself and bite their patient. He would have to get used to smell of the blood, which was something he didn't want to do. Being a hybrid meant that Max wasn't as affected by the smell of blood, but instincts could still hit him pretty hard if he ingested it.___ _

____ _ _

____After they had bandaged up the mer, who Nikki had revealed to be named Neil, Max picked him up and swam into their nest. Nikki looked shocked. Max was usually very protective of their nest. Perhaps there was something behind the pull she felt to help him. Nikki swam in after Max, settling down. Neil was in the middle of the nest, while Max was of to the side. Nikki rested her head on Neils back, smiling and leaning into the steadily growing warmth._ _ _ _

____"Oh my god Max. He's so freakin warm!" she purred._ _ _ _

____Max rolled his eyes, but Nikki caught the subtle shift closer. She grinned even wider, before closing her eyes and letting sleep take over._ _ _ _


	4. Waking up to sunshine, seals and sharks.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil awakes only to find himself in a bit of an uncomfortable position.

Neil smiled as sun beamed down on him. His whole body felt warm, and he felt completely relaxed. Slowly, he went to stretch, only to find that his arms were pinned. In fact, his whole body felt like it was being pressed down on. He opened his eyes and turned his head. He instinctively froze when he discovered why he couldn't move. 

The leopard seal mer that had saved him earlier, Nikki he remembered, was now draped across his back, grinning in her sleep. Beside him was what looked like a shark mer, who he assumed was 'Max'. The shark had part of his chest resting on Neil's tail. His grey, marred tail swished slowly, barley making a ripple in the water. His skin was tan for a Northerner, and Neil could feel the shark's numerous muscles, yet he wasn't overly buff. Neil shook his head, clearing his mind. Why the hell was he admiring this guys figure when the dude could wake up at any moment and take a bite out of a probably much weaker mer like him! Neil blew out some bubbles, trying not to panic. He had 3 options, he could try to wiggle his way out slowly, thrash and bolt out of there, or he could stay and pretend to still be asleep and hope that they didn't eat him. Well, Neil knew which option he was _not _going to do.__

__He surveyed his surroundings, trying to look for the best place to swim for. He was in a soft curve in the sand, surrounded by a kelp forest. He guessed he was in their nest, which was odd, considering mers often defended their nests quite ferociously. He could see a gap in the kelp, wide enough to where he wouldn't get tangled._ _

__He decided to go with his first idea, not entirely sure he could outswim two apex predators. Ever so slowly, he tried to inch forward. Nikki twitched and sunk her claws into a wound on Neil's tail, drawing blood. Neil yelped and thrashed, pulling his tail away from the female. Nikki and Max jolted awake, sand flying everywhere as they beat their tails. Neil swam up a little, wincing at the sharp pain that surged through his body. Even that small dash had drained him, and it donned on him that he was in worse shape than he previously thought. He floated in the water as the two other mers corrected themselves. Max glared up at Neil, obviously not enjoying being awake. Neil made an annoyed face, swallowing down his fear to defend himself._ _

__"Don't look at me like that. She's the one who dug her claws into me!" he protested, flicking his tail to the side to prove it._ _

__Max's glare turned to Nikki, who sheepishly grinned, white teeth shining in the sun. "Sorry Neil, I have a tendency to claw moving things in my sleep. I've clawed Max more times than i can count." she admitted, rubbing the back of her head._ _

__Max sighed, rubbing his forehead. " I'm just glad you didn't tear open that wound on your chest when you thrashed. Nikki, why the fuck were you holding onto his tail?" he asked in a tired voice._ _

__Before Nikki could say anything, Neil interjected._ _

__"Its because you two were sleeping on me." he said, swimming down and crossing his arms._ _

__Max's face turned a bit red and he looked away, while Nikki began giggling. Neil tilted his head, and Nikki laughed harder._ _

__"O-oh my god-d Neil, your cheeks were puffed out and- and that little head tilt! Hahahah! You are so adorable!" she sniggered, covering her hand with her mouth._ _

__Neil blushed and huffed. "I am NOT adorable, i am THREATENING." he proclaimed, flaring his fins to punctuate his point._ _

__Nikki fell onto the nest's floor, laughter pouring out of her at this point. Even Max had to hold back a laugh. Neil snorted and swam out of the nest, swimming to the surface. He popped his head above water and looked around, breathing in the salty air. They were near a secluded beach, with a circle of sharp black rocks protecting the area. There was nothing around, as far as he could see. He filled his second pair of lungs with air and ducked under the waves. Nikki had recovered from her laugh attack and was now swimming to the surface, but he was surprised to see Max following her. The two surfaced, than shortly after ducked back under. He flinched a little when they swam in his direction, but he figured if they were going to eat him, they wouldn't have helped him._ _

__" I thought sharks didn't need air?" he questioned, swimming alongside Max._ _

__Max nodded. " They don't. I'm not fully shark, only half. I'm half great white and half dolphin." he explained. "I don't really need air, but it does allow me to not have to move all the time." he added, before darting down suddenly to grab a fish._ _

__Max pounced on it, crushing it with his powerful jaws. Neil swam a little closer, but respectively kept his distance. Sharks were known to be territorial, even over food.  
He saw that the fish was a huge Monkfish, ugly creatures that tasted somewhat like lobster. Nikki swam by, and Neil saw that she had a large Codfish in her mouth. Neil turned and swam closer to the seafloor, looking for shellfish or small fish. Nikki dropped the fish she was holding as Max dragged his kill over. _ _

__"Neil, do ya want some?" she asked, tearing off a decent size piece with her teeth and holding it out._ _

__Neil blinked. Offerings were generally only given to those who mers considered close, or were trying to court. Since he had only just met her, and since it was near impossible that anyone would try and court him, he was confused. But he chalked it up to her either playing some weird prank, or just her being weird._ _

__"It's alright. I can find my own breakfast." he said, turning slowly as to not aggravate his wounds._ _

__Nikki shrugged and began eating, but she still set a piece aside for him. Max did the same and placed it next to Nikki's piece, just incase Neil didn't find much. Neil ran his claws along the sand, feeling for anything. His hand brushed something, and he swatted it upwards. A stunned crab flew up out of the sand, and Neil smiled. He grabbed it and bit down, his small, sharp teeth cracking its shell open, killing it. He found two more, both smaller than the first one, but he was used to not eating much. He laid down on the soft sand and split open the crabs hard exterior. He pulled out small bits of crab meat, savoring the taste. He liked crabs, and often that was the only thing he ate. He couldn't keep up with the pod when they were hunting, and his flashy scales scared away any fish he tried to catch, so he stuck with crustaceans and shellfish. When he was finished, he swept the bits that he didn't eat aside. He stretched, smiling as his joints cracked. Oh yeah that felt good. He lowered his chest to the sandy floor and rested his head on his arms, waiting for the other mers to be done._ _

__Max looked up from his meal and glanced over to Neil, confused as to why he had stopped eating._ _

__"Aren't you going to go and catch some more? There's got to be some Flatfish or some shit. Those crabs you ate barely qualify as a fucking snack, let alone breakfast." he said._ _

__Neil shook his head. "Nah i'm good. This is all i usually get to eat anyways." he said nonchalantly. Max frowned. Nikki even stopped tearing apart her meal to tune into the conversation._ _

__"The fuck do you mean 'that's all your usually allowed to eat?' Do your podmates steal your food or something?" he finished with a joking tone._ _

__But to his surprise Neil nodded, as if that was a normal thing. No wonder he was so skinny!_ _

__"Dude, come over here and take some of this fish. Here, we set some aside for you." he said, turning to grab the fish. Neil shook his head._ _

__"No that's your food. Im not going to take it from you!" he said, as if the very idea was crazy._ _

__Max growled, annoyed. He pushed the chunks of meat towards Neil._ _

__"Eat the stupid fish. You can't heal if your starving. Plus you need to be able to keep up with us." He said sternly._ _

__Neil decided not to protest any further, as Max's tail was beginning to twitch in annoyance. He thanked the two before taking a bite of the Monkfish. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a piece of fish this big, but the new development wasn't unwanted. He suddenly felt very hungry, and he gladly ate the remaining fish while Max and Nikki finished off their breakfast._ _

__Once they were done, the trio returned to the nest for a sun nap. Well, Nikki and Max did. Neil paused outside of the kelp forest and laid down, figuring that Nikki and Max wouldn't appreciate him intruding into their nest. They had been very kind to him, and he didn't want to push that kindness. He was about to settle down, until Max came swimming out of the forest._ _

__"Neil, what the fuck are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow._ _

__Neil's ear fins ruffled nervously. What had he done wrong? Was he too close to the nest?_ _

__"Oh, um, sorry. I'll move farther away. I didn't mean to disturb you." he said in a quiet, nervous voice._ _

__Max slapped his face. "Oh my god. No. Just, just stop. For fuck sakes, you really think we're making you sleep out in the open? Come on, let's go." he said exasperatedly._ _

__Max swam over to Neil and picked him up, swimming into the forest. Neil squeaked, not expecting this reaction. Max dumped Neil into the nest and flopped down next to Nikki, curling his tail in. Neil backed up to the edge, not wanting to invade their space, and wanting his own. Nikki sleepily raised her head, before reaching over and pulling Neil in closer. Neil clawed at the sand, not wanting to get trapped again, and slightly afraid of Nikki's claws. Nikki looked hurt, but let him go. She turned towards Max and went to sleep, pulling her tail around his. Neil sighed, settling back near the edge. His ears were down and his fins drooped. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, but he just didn't quite trust her yet. Bad memories of his pod still to fresh. Perhaps, one day, he might trust them enough to be close to them._ _

__Perhaps one day, he would let himself trust them._ _


	5. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, Nikki and Neil get a bad feeling, so they set off to investigate. When they find the source of the bad feeling, it is decided that they must leave. Along the way, Neil reveals a smidget more of his past.
> 
> But then something unexpected happens.

When Neil awoke again, something felt... _off. ___

__He opened his eyes and pushed himself up, fins flared out. His whole body felt tense and he didn't feel safe. He floated up and swam over to Nikki and Max, who looked restless in their sleep. He gently shook Nikki awake, eyes darting around, looking for the first sign of danger. Nikki opened her eyes and went to say something, before pausing. Her pupils dilated and she shivered._ _

__"You can feel it too?" he asked, eyes still looking for some hidden danger._ _

__She nodded and shook Max awake. The shark growled, but reluctantly got up. He glared at the two, before the odd feeling washed over him too. His eyes turned to slits and he puffed himself up. He bared his teeth and hissed. It was then Neil realized that there was no sound. No fishes swimming or crabs scuttling. He slowly swam towards the forest's exit, eyes wide. Max and Nikki swam up beside him, almost pressing into him. For once, the contact was welcome. Max took the lead, inching out into the open ocean. Nothing, it was like the ocean had gone dead. Neil swam out farther and sniffed the water. It smelt like something Neil had smelt only once before, when he was younger. It burned his nose and he hissed. He knew what it was._ _

__"Oil. Its an oil spill." he whispered._ _

__Nikki and Max turned to him, wondering what he was talking about._ _

__"What's an oil spill?" Nikki asked, trying to get the horrible smell out of her sensitive nose._ _

__"It's what happens sometimes when human ships crash. This horrible black liquid leaks out. Everything goes quiet in the area, and you can't eat anything that's covered in it, or you get sick. Really sick. I've only seen one, when i was very little. We didn't go back to that area for a long time." Neil explained. He looked deep in thought for a moment. " I don't know why everything goes quiet though, no one ever told me." he admitted._ _

__

__Nikki smiled, trying to shake off the bad feeling. "Let's go find out! We should be alright as long as we don't eat anything covered in the oil, right?" she said excitedly._ _

__Neil was unsure. There had to be a reason everything went quiet, what if something bad happened? But Nikki was already pulling them along, following the burning smell._ _

__

__After about 30 minutes of swimming, they finally reached the oil spill._ _

__It was a big, grey and red ship that had crashed against some rocks. The black liquid floated on top of the water, and the smell was awful. The trio surfaced where there was no oil, and saw a frightening scene. Dead and dying animals lined the beach, covered in the black goo. Birds were slowly getting picked apart by flies on the water's surface, squaking pitifully as they were eaten alive. But the most horrifying thing was the corpse of a dolphin mer, half out of the water and drenched in the liquid death. Neil stared in horror. If they hadn't woken up, if the ship had crashed closer to them, that might have _been _them. Max pulled him and Nikki under the water, grabbing in Neil his arms so the dolphin mer wouldn't half to strain himself trying to keep up and swimming as fast as he could. Nikki darted along with him, not even daring to look back.___ _

____"We can't stay here anymore. Look what that fucking stuff can do! No wonder it's so fucking quiet, everything is either dead or has left!" he shouted, eyes turning to slits._ _ _ _

____Neil pinned his ears back. He was scared enough as it was and Max certainly wasn't helping. He knew Max probably wouldn't hurt him, but you can't get rid of years of abuse in a day. He wiggled out of Max's arms, who grunted in surprise, and swam over by Nikki, ears still pinned back. Nikki grabbed onto his arm so that he wouldn't fall behind, and glared at Max, who was looking utterly confused and kinda hurt by Neil's behaviour._ _ _ _

____"Geez, sorry Neil. I-i didn't think i scared you that much..." he said, trailing off._ _ _ _

____Neil sighed quietly. "It's not really you i'm afraid of. It's more like your angry voice. It just brings up bad memories." he said, repressing a shudder. Max and Nikki looked at him with concern, but Neil just smiled weakly. "Its okay, those days are over, right? New friends, new beginning." he said softly. Nikki grinned, and Max smiled lightly. Nikki cheered._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____"Best friends forever!"_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10 Days Later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Neil had gotten closer to Max and Nikki over the course of the 10 days that they had traveled together. Most of Neil's wounds had healed up, so he was able to swim better, and for longer. But he still held onto Nikki or Max whenever he got too tired. He didn't feel quite comfortable enough to sleep too close to them, but he didn't mind being touched now. Nikki liked to play with his tail frills whenever she got the chance, and she was always careful. She liked watching the light shine through it, watching the colours appear on the sand. Max still insisted that Neil eat part of their meals, and he was slowly getting used to it. He had put on a few pounds in these last few days, and it felt good to not feel hungry all the time. He had also learned that Nikki and Max were a bit more than friends, apparently, they were courting each other,but not too quickly._ _ _ _

_____Currently, he was helping Nikki make the new temporary nest while Max was out hunting dinner. He scooped out the sand, pushing it off to the side. They were making this one deeper, as it was less covered, There was a rock in front of the nest, and some kelp behind it, but not much cover aside from that. They were almost done now, all they needed was some soft coral or sea sponges for resting their heads on. Neil volunteered to go get some, wanting to help out more. He swam out into the deeper water, swimming along the bottom. He swam until he saw something odd.  
It looked like human 'rope', although it was grey. It was in square patterns, and it was just lying there. Perhaps this would make a good nesting material?  
Neil swam over it, inspecting it. He tugged on it, seeing if he could pull it, when it sprang up and encased the poor merman. _ _ _

____Neil thrashed, trying to escape. It dug into his skin and restricted him. Part of the trap was around his neck, pressing down on the sensitive glands on his throat. He felt panic seize him, and he reverted to his more primal tongue. He screeched out distressed clicks and cries, trying to alert his companions. Far off, he could hear panicked growls and clicks, getting louder as Nikki and Max bolted towards him. Their eyes were slits, and they attacked the trap viscously, only to be forced to let go when the trap jerked upwards, slowly being pulled up. Neil clicked in distress and his fins flared out, getting painfully tangled in the trap's metal ropes. Max clawed and bit at the ropes while Nikki tried to get Neil out of it, but it was no use. The trap continued to rise upwards, and Max and Nikki could only watch in horror as it pulled them out of the water._ _ _ _

____Fearing for his friend's lives, he used the last of his strength to pry them off, staring with sad eyes as they fell back into the water, screaming in rage and fear._ _ _ _

____It was storming again. Lightning flashed, and Neil could see his attackers for a brief moment. Humans. Horrible, unkind humans. He snarled weakly, trying to threaten them. The humans ignored him, dropping the trap onto their ship. Neil yelped in pain as his injured side slammed into the cold metal. He felt the trap get taken off of him, only to have something claw into his neck. He screeched and thrashed, fighting to get the metal claw OUT OF HIS NECK! Something pinned him to the ground, full weight pressed into him. He opened one eye to glare at the overweight monster on his back. He growled and tried to slam his tail into this land walking freak, only to feel more of the metal claws dig into him, into his tail._ _ _ _

____"ROAARW STOP DOING THAT!" he screamed, tears falling freely. There was lots of shouting, but suddenly it got louder._ _ _ _

____"Shit! Its the damn wildlife protection force!" one of them shouted._ _ _ _

____Suddenly, there was bright lights beaming down on the boat. Out of the corner of his eye, Neil could see two humans, dressed in dark blue._ _ _ _

____"Alright, no one move. You are hereby under arrest for the attempted poaching of a mer creature. This act is in violation of numerous marine wildlife protection laws and humanitarian laws. The sentence is 10 years in prison for everyone here." a female voice said, commanding and tough. "Danny, go assess the state of the mer and get it ready to be moved to the institute. I'll deal with these bastards." she finished, venom obvious in her voice. The other human nodded, "You got it Sam." said a kind male voice._ _ _ _

____The male human slowly approached Neil, who backed away as much as he could. The human crouched down, and Neil could see his face in the light. He had bright blue eyes, not unlike Neil's own. His hair was black, and plastered to his face from the rain. The human looked at him with a sad face._ _ _ _

____"Poor little guy, hybrids are always targeted first. I'm sorry you had to go through this. But don't worry, me and Sam are gonna take you back to Daniel and Jen, they'll patch you up and take you right back here. Now, i hope you don't mind needles." he said in a soft tone, pulling something out of a small white box. Its small blade glinted in the glaring light, and Neil's eyes narrowed. No, no more hurting._ _ _ _

____He lunged at the human, causing him to fall back. Neil summoned the last of his strength and hauled himself over to the edge of the boat. Freedom was just below him. He could almost taste it. He was about to jump, when something grabbed him from behind and stabbed his neck with something. He wheeled around and hissed, gaze catching the male human stepping back, holding the small blade device. He felt his neck becoming numb, and he put a hand up to it, feeling sleep begin to overtake him._ _ _ _

____"You bastard." he hissed quietly, before slipping into unconsciousness._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lied about the 1 or 2 more cute chapters:)


	6. A sparkly friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil awakes and is horrified by Jasper's fashion sense, also Nerris is here.

Neil groaned. Everything hurt and he was cold. He reached out for Max and Nikki, seeking out the familiar warmth they offered. His hands and fins found nothing, only hard surface. That was odd... where was the sand and sea grass?

Then everything came rushing back to him. The trap, the humans, the metal _claws. _Oh god the claws, digging into his still healing wounds, creating new ones, worse ones. Then, the humans who had seemed nice, but then had stabbed him. He had been so close!__

__His eyes flew open and he surged upwards, only to hit his head. He winced as his whole body screamed at him to stop. His tail felt heavy, and he looked down. His tail was wrapped in what looked like white seaweed, but it felt strange. It was wrapped around most of his body, covering his wounds. He sniffed at one of them, and hissed when a strange smell hit him. It smelt sort of like the salve, but it burned his sensitive nose._ _

__He heard a door open and he backed up. His back hit something. Glass, he recognized. He was in some sort of container, fully exposed and trapped. He stared at where the noise had come from, and he felt his heart drop at what he saw. A human, male it seemed, dressed in all white. The human grinned at him, exposing its weirdly flat teeth. Neil cocked his head. He had always figured humans had a mouth full of horribly sharp teeth, but this humans teeth were small, and he only had a few sharp teeth. Perhaps there was something wrong with him? How did he even eat?_ _

__The human walked up to Neil, who was slowly becoming less afraid and more curious by the minute. This human didn't look or act like the humans who had harmed him, perhaps he was less aggressive? The human stared at Neil with a look of awe, as if he was staring at a majestic creature, not some awkward freak dolphin thing. His hair was a light sandy blonde, his skin was pale and his eyes almost seemed to have oceans in them. Neil decided he would name this odd human Beach, because he was like the personification of waves against a white sandy beach._ _

__Beach went behind Neil, and soon he felt himself moving. His glass container, it seemed, was mobile. Handy, he supposed. Beach pushed him into a large room, where he could see large pools of water. He gasped when he saw a fin breach the water. It was purple and gold and oh so sparkly. He chirped in alarm when he felt the container come to an abrupt stop. Beach got a sheepish look. "Sorry about that friend. Jen! Jasper! Come help me get Treasure into the water." he called._ _

__

___...Treasure? ____ _

____Was... was that what the humans called him? Why 'Treasure?' What about him could even be called beautiful? He supposed he was rather shiny, but he didn't think that he was that shiny! Wait, who is that?_ _ _ _

____Two more humans walked into the room, one female and one male. The female was wearing the same as Beach, while the male sported a yellow top and purple patterned bottoms, most of his scrawny legs still exposed. What useless armor, the garments couldn't even be considered attractive, the colours absolutely did NOT match._ _ _ _

____The female and the eye sore walked over to beach and picked up his containment. Their faces strained, and the female cursed. "Damn Daniel, this thing is heavy!" she commented, huffing._ _ _ _

____Daniel? Was that Beach's name? Well, they called him Treasure, so he would give them new names too. The female would be Briny, because she seemed salty. The male would be Blind, because no one would wear those colours together if they could see._ _ _ _

____Blind, Briny and Beach set him down in the shallows of the pool, and slid off the lid, before tipping the container over. Neil yelped as he was washed out, but he soon righted himself and swam away as fast as his wounded body would allow. Those humans may have seemed nice, but a far off observation was always safer. He remembered the shiny fin he had seen earlier, and swam slowly, looking around. The pool was deep, but surprisingly clear. In no time at all, he spotted a purple mermaid. He clicked out a greeting, trying to get her attention._ _ _ _

____The mer turned her head, and a grin broke out on her face. She dashed towards him, and he could hear the excited screaming, even though he was at least 20 feet away. The mer stopped just short of Neil, jittering with excitement. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! Someone new! Finally, it was getting so boring in here. Oh man Harrison is going to flip! We've never gotten a chance to show anyone our magic!" she said with extreme excitement._ _ _ _

____Neil's eyebrows shot up. Magic! Mers that could use magic were practically unheard of, especially young ones. It took months or even years to tap into the ancient magic that lay dormant in all mers, and most mers were to busy surviving to be able to try. It was wild and exciting, but it could also be dangerous. There were stories of what happened when bad mers used magic. Horrible, horrible stories._ _ _ _

____But this mer seemed pure, good. She wouldn't be corrupted so easily._ _ _ _

____The mermaid composed herself, drawing in a deep breath. "Im Nerris. I'm a Betta Fish mer. What's your name?" she asked, sticking out her hand. The webbing between her fingers shimmered, and Neil could almost feel the magic when he grasped it, glad to see a friendly face._ _ _ _

____"It's Neil." he said with a smile._ _ _ _


	7. It begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instincts are a bitch.

Neil's fin swished through the still water, following Nerris. The mermaid led him to a tunnel at the far end of the pool. She darted inside, while Neil was a little bit more hesitant. He didn't really like confined spaces, it made him feel uneasy. He swam through slowly, trying not to hit anything. When he made it to the end, he saw that he was outside. He swam over to the tall glass wall. This was the one thing keeping him from Max and Nikki. 

'It's also the one thing keeping you from getting caught while your still injured.' the logical side of his brain reasoned.

He still hated it.

Just thinking about the two mers made him feel... sick. Like, really unwell. His arms burned like he had touched fire, and the sensitive gland on his throat felt the same. He felt nauseous, and he had trouble swimming. 

Nerris swam over to him, eyes holding much concern. "Oh fuck, Neil, are you okay?" she asked, trying to see what was going on. Neil shook his head, unable to answer. Nerris gently grabbed his wrists and pulled him back through the tunnel. She led him into the shallow part of the pool and told him to lay down. She swam to the surface and looked around. There! One of the humans was walking by. It was the one with the ugly colours. She splashed the water, trying to get his attention.

Jasper turned when he heard loud splashing. Glitter was at the surface, splashing the water violently. She had a distressed look on her face. He ran over, being careful as to not slip. "What's wrong girl, something the matter?" he asked, not really expecting a response. To his surprise, the mermaid nodded and ducked back under the water. She resurfaced near the pools entrance ramp, where mers sometimes would rest. He hopped over the small fence barricading the pool in just as Glitter dragged something up onto the ramp. It was the newest mer, and he looked like he was in bad shape. "Oh shit!" he exclaimed, grabbing his walkie talkie. "Daniel, can you get Frisk in here? The new mer is looking bad, and i don't know what's wrong with him." he asked, worry obvious in his voice. 

A few moments later, a short blur shot into the room. A purple and blue sweater clad figure was now kneeling in the water, glove covered hands checking the now limp mer over. Jasper knelt down as well, his beach shorts getting wet. Glitter backed away into the water, not very comfortable above water.Frisk examined Treasures throat, before looking back at his arms and back. Frisk put a hand to their forehead and groaned. "Fuck... Jasper, do you know if there was any other mers with this one when he was captured?" they asked with a hint of urgency. Jasper shook his head. 

"Danny and Sam said that he was the only live mer on the boat, and that the dead ones had been put on the ice already. They didn't have time to search for other mers in the area." he said, not quite understanding why this info was important. 

Frisk cursed again. "Alright, listen to me. We need to get this mer back where he came from as soon as possible. Because when he wakes up, he's going to be a monster to deal with. He's going through what's called Pre-Imprinting Separation. It's what happens when a mer thats going through an imprinting stage gets separated from the mer or mers they were imprinting on. They become extremely aggressive and territorial, and since its the beginning of a mate bond, it's going to be twice as bad." they explained. Jasper gulped.

"How do you know its a mate bond?" he asked, glancing at the mer in the shallows.

Frisk pointed to the mer's arm, where a faint mark was appearing. "That is a mate mark. There will be many of them all along his torso and arms. They will finish appearing when the imprinting is complete." they paused for a moment before adding "Oh, and don't let any boats near where he was captured. No doubt the mer or mers he was bonding with are still there, and they will attack any boats or humans they see." they finished. Jasper nodded and got up, heading for the door. Frisk lifted their head, remembering one last important thing. "And tell Daniel that he needs to move this mer into Quarantine!"

 

Nikki watched a crab scuttle across the sand, and another pang of sadness hit her. Neil loved crabs. She could have given it to him, Poseidon knows that he didn't eat enough. But no. Those stupid fucking humans had the nerve, the _nerve _to take him from them. First she had lost her mother, and now she was losing another person she loved.__

__She didn't know if she could handle it._ _

__Max flopped down beside her suddenly, face turned away from her. Somehow, even though she couldn't see his face, she knew that he was crying. Max had grown up alone, and only recently had he found someone who cared about him. Then they had met Neil, and both of them had found the piece of their lives they hadn't known was missing. They felt a strong bond with Neil, and they had decided to start courting him. They had secretly been working on courting gifts while they traveled. They had planned on surprising Neil at dinner, when everything went wrong in the worse way. And now it felt like a vital part of them had been ripped out, leaving a gaping hole in their hearts. Her train of thought came to a screeching halt when she suddenly felt super sick. Her skin felt like it had lines of fire racing along it, and her breathing felt laboured. Max seemed to be experiencing something similar._ _

__The shark mer grit his teeth and dug his razor sharp claws into the sand. "Mother fuck! What the shit?! Why is this happening NOW?! FUUUCCCKKK!!" he screamed, tail thrashing. He felt adrenaline shoot through him, yet he could see shadows at the edge of his vision._ _

__"Max, what's happening to us? Are we going to die?" she asked, groaning in pain._ _

__Max gave a cold, bitter laugh, the whites of his eyes becoming non existent, pupils becoming vicious slits._ _

__"No, but who ever took our Neil is."_ _


	8. Caution! Do not fuck with!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil gives in to his instincts when some poachers break into the facility.
> 
>  
> 
> GORE WARNING!

Neil blinked slowly as he came too. Everything felt... bad. His body ached still, and he felt every wound on his frail form. His stomach growled loudly. When had he eaten last? He couldn't remember. Had it been that crab he ate before he was taken? Probably. 

He looked around, noticing how dark the room was. Where was he? Why had he been left alone? Was he going to be left in the dark to die?

He didn't want to die yet. He wanted to say goodbye to Max and Nikki at least. Would he tell them how he felt? No. No he probably wouldn't. They were happy together. He wasn't about to ruin their relationship because he had selfishly fallen in love. 

But, despite this, part of him did want to die. To go to sleep and never wake up. Perhaps...it would be better? He wouldn't be 3rd wheeling Max and Nikki, plus they wouldn't have to worry about him being dead weight. His pod wouldn't care. His dad might miss him, but he would be glad to not be an outcast anymore. Perhaps it would be better.

Neil was so deep in thought, he didn't hear a lock being broken. He didn't hear the door creaking open. What he did hear was the voices.

"Alright, it should be in that pool over there." A gruff male voice said. A light shined down onto Neil, and he hissed, the light hurting his strangely sensitive eyes.

"Oho man! Look at those scales! If our buyer don't want it alive, we could make a decent profit offa those beauties alone." commented a sleazy voice. It sounded like a males voice as well.

Neil bared his fangs, fins flaring out. These males were intruders and were NOT welcome. He felt his instincts surge up, taking control. There was nowhere to hide in the small, shallow pool. He clicked out another warning. If these two didn't get out of his territory now, there wouldn't be much left of them to find. He was confused, scared, wounded and severely pissed off. Their next move had better be walking back out that door...

"Oh man, it is pissed! Alright, lets silence it before it wakes up that freaky cult lookin dude that lives here. You grab the loop thingy, I'll tape it's mouth shut." the sleazy voice said.

Neil watched as a tall figure grabbed something long. Suddenly, something cold was around his neck, pressing into the wounds and his gland. The marks on his skin burned fiercely, and Neil's logical mind went blank. 

The mer leaped out of the water, torn fins flared out. His eyes were completely ice blue with wavering black slits. The humans jumped back, dropping the long rod. Neil grabbed the metal loop and snapped it, a 'twang' sounding out. The hybrid stalked towards the shorter male, who was shaking now.

 

"J-jesus Christ! Hank, watta we do?!" he yelped" turning to his partner. Hank dashed out the door, not even looking back. "Your on your own now, Tom!" he yelled.

The remaining man made a dash for the door, only for something to trip him. The mer had swung it's tail around, knocking him back. The creature growled, before lunging forward and sinking its teeth into Tom's kneecap. The man screamed as he felt the bone splinter and crack, caving in as the mer bit down.

Slowly, Tom felt himself get pulled closer to the water. "NO NO NO NO NO! GET THE HELL OFFA ME YOU WATER DEVIL!" he yelled, rasing his good leg. He kicked the mer square in the face, causing it to let go. It yelped, and Tom heard something crack. Its left arm had hit the side of pool, and the creature hissed immediately, clutching the appendage much like a person would.

The mer snapped it's attention back to Tom, who was frantically trying to back up with only one working leg. It crawled toward him, one arm lifted in pain. It surged forward, landing on the fat mans stomach. The mer locked eyes with Tom, and in that moment, the man knew he was looking into the eyes of a creature that was not to be toyed with.

 

Neil bit down, tearing into the fat and flesh, savoring the flavor of the humans salty blood. Revenge had never tasted so _good. _The creature screamed and squirmed pitifully, hurting his ears. He hissed and lunged forward, jaws locking around the male's throat. He bit down, jaws crushing the delicate windpipe like a hollow crab shell. The screaming died, turning into a almost silent wheeze.__

__'Yes. Yes. Kill. Kill the threat.' his instincts cheered._ _

__Neil pulled back, a chunk of flesh coming back with him. The humans throat was now gushing blood from the hole in his throat. The blood soaked mer's stomach growled again, reminding him of his hunger._ _

__'Eat.' his instincts instructed._ _

__Neil swallowed the mouthful of dripping flesh, licking around his lips. He turned his attention to the small hole in the mans stomach. He could make it bigger. He pressed down on the flesh with his good hand, his tail sweeping around to add pressure. He bent his head down, tearing at the flesh. He tor out chunks, digging into the still living body, searching for the muscle layer. He shoved his head in, slowly ripping a strip of muscle out. Red blood flowed like water down his chin, making his wounds sting when it came into contact with it. Neil hissed, mind being pulled back to his injures. There was something wrong with his arm, and in his state he could not figure out what exactly was wrong._ _

__'Go. Escape. Find Mates. Find safety.' the small voice urged._ _

__He turned towards the door. It was open. He crawled towards it, adrenaline flooding out of his body. His wounds became more and more apparent as he pulled himself through the door. It was night, and he could see the moon's reflection on the nearby ocean. The mer almost started crying. He felt emotions well up inside him, his primal state making them harder to control. He no longer felt murderous. He felt scared, lost, hurt and lonely. He wanted Nikki and Max to be with him. He wanted to be home. Neil felt tears drip down his cheeks, pain washing over him. He was exhausted. He hoped he could make it._ _

__Slowly, he pulled his body towards the ocean. He was on a stone platform. It turned into a sand hill that sloped down into the ocean. If he could just reach the edge..._ _

__He chirped as he slid down the sand, crashing into the water. The cool waves washed over him, almost like the ocean was welcoming her child back. His body felt lighter, and Neil beat his tail following a certain familiar pull._ _

__

__Daniel yawned, pulling the ear buds out. He loved listening to music while he slept. He hopped out of bed and got ready for the day._ _

__He walked down the hallway, humming slightly as he made his way to Quarantine. He opened the door, ready to greet the newest mer._ _

__"Good morning Tre-JEBUS HOLY KOOLAID CINNAMON CREPES! WHAT IN THE HECKIN HECK HAPPENED?!??!? JEN GET IN HERE NOW!" he screamed._ _

__Jen ran down the hallway. "What the fuck do you want Dani-HOLY FUCK NUGGETS! THE SHIT HAPPENED?!? OH FUCK THE MER IS GONE!" she yelled, pointing at the door. A streak of blood led outside. Carefully, the two maneuvered around the mangled corpse and peered outside. The blood led down to the ocean, the waves lapping against the sand. Daniel chuckled nervously. "Well, at least we don't need to worry about releasing him."_ _

__Jen stared at her friend. "Daniel. A man is dead behind us, and that's what you have to say?" she asked in disbelief._ _

__"Sometimes i like to avoid my problems, okay?!"_ _


	9. Moonlit Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil finally makes it home, but his injuries can no longer be ignored.

Neil slipped into a current, letting the water pull him along. The bright moon shone above him, illuminating the ocean. At this point, Neil was going completely on instinct. The mer hissed as pain raced up his arm, salt water cleaning the wound, but making it sting. Pain was all he seemed to feel recently. Pain and hunger. A small brown seahorse quickly darted to the side as Neil swam by, not even noticing the tiny creature. His mind was on autopilot, pulling him back home. He hoped that someone was waiting there for him. 

He turned, and his tail bumped into a rock, scraping the part where skin met scales. The wounds on his tail flared up, blood trickling out. Neil barked, paralyzing pain racking his weak form. The small mer dipped out of the current, falling to the sandy sea bed. Neil curled up, injured tail wrapping around his torso. The fins were torn in multiple places and his tail was a patchwork of bruises, cuts and scars, new and old. He was in bad shape.

Exhausted, Neil pushed himself up, miserably floating upwards. He had to keep going. He might die along the way, but he was certain that he would die if he stopped moving for too long. He flexed his now dull fins, wincing as the movement reopened a cut.How much blood had he lost? Too much, he figured, if his skin was anything to go by. He was as pale as the moon and as skinny as a fish bone. He ran a hand over his unhealthily flat stomach. Normally, if a Mating Bond had been initiated, the courting Dominant mate or mates would insure that their chosen Life Mate was healthy, happy and well fed. He was none of those things. _'But you aren't supposed to be bonded to them, are you?' _a small, cruel voice said. Ah, his insecurities, he was wondering when one would rear its ugly head. Suddenly, something brushed up against his belly, tickling him. Kelp. It had been a blade of soft green kelp, gently swaying. He must have drifted off. Neil looked around, trying to figure out where exactly he was. He swam lower, searching desperately for something. There! A dip in the sand, still unfinished. Neil floated gently over it, a tired smile breaking out. He swam gently above the rock, careful not to whack his tail. Sleeping not to far away, was the two people he loved more than anything. For a moment, everything was still. Then, Nikki's nose twitched. The mermaid blinked slowly, rousing out of sleep. She looked over at Max, before glancing at her other side, a sad look on her face. Pain gripped Neil again, but this time, it was his heart that ached. But that was something he could fix. The weak mer trilled a happy, longing chirp, ending with a hint of desperation. Nikki's head whipped up, and Neil locked eyes with her. It only took a fraction of a second for Nikki to launch herself towards him, a high pitch cry mingling with heavy sobs. Her tail slammed into Max's side as she springboarded off of the sleeping shark. Max awoke, startled. Nikki crashed into Neil, who had lunged in spite of his injuries. The two locked in a tight embrace, Nikki curling her tail around Neil's. The usually tough girl was bawling, happy tears streaming down her face as she clung to Neil as if he would disappear if she let go. Neil felt his strength give out, and he collapsed, crying into Nikki's shoulder. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around him, and someone was fiercely nuzzling his cheek. Max was there, hugging both of them. "Max..." Neil croaked, leaning into the touch. The trio fell to the sea bed, and it was then that Neil's injuries flared up. Neil yelped in pain, and Nikki and Max let go, jumping back a bit. Nikki put a hand over her mouth, feeling sick just glancing at the wounds. Max growled, deep and guttural. The shark's hands ghosted over the injuries, feeling quite sick himself. Neil whined, wanting the pain to just STOP. Nikki crooned in sympathy as Max darted off, back towards the old nest. Neil panicked, not wanting to be alone again. He stretched his neck as he went to call out, only to have the noise die in his throat. The wounds on his neck burned like fire urchins were stabbing into them. He flopped over, energy drained. He didn't even yelp when he landed on his broken arm. His body was done. It just couldn't take it anymore. Nikki keened in distress when Neil went limp, eyes closing. Max burst out, holding a small seaweed satchel. He snarled when he saw Neil, racing over. Carefully, he picked Neil up. Max turned to Nikki. " We need to get him to the new nest, do you think you can swim in front of me? It'll make it so that there's less resistance." Max asked, securing the unconscious mer. Nikki nodded, darting ahead. Max bolted after her, swimming in the slipstream. The shark looked down at the frail mer, heart clenching. He would make him better, and then Neil was never leaving the nest again.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooh boy. short i know, but i may have a way to make up for it.
> 
> So, how do you guys feel about, say... a super fluffy chap, followed by some smex? ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ –
> 
> ppooossssiiibblleee follow up mpreg? with some extra cute babies later?
> 
> (and dadvid and momgwen)


	10. A moment with Max

Neil shifted, eyes slowly opening. He could feel the light brush of a tail fin against his side. He was on a bed of soft sand, the water dark. His night vision wasn't as good as other mers, but he could make out the outline of a thick tail next to him. Shifting slightly, he pushed himself up, drooped fins swirling the sand.

The tail whirled out of his vision, replaced by seafoam green luminesce eyes. Max pulled Neil towards him, wrapping his arms around the fellow hybrid in a loving embrace. Neil purred softly and tucked his head into Max's neck, chin resting on the crook of his shoulders. 

The two said no words, but they didn't need to. Enough was said with gentle touches and vibrating purrs. 

After what seemed like eternity, Max pulled back only slightly, pulling Neil onto his solid chest. Neil blushed as he was pressed against the hard muscles that composed the sharks scarred torso. Max's powerful tail wound it's way around Neil's, and the wounded merman blushed.

Max was careful not to brush any of Neil's scratches, not wanting to cause Neil any more pain. The pair fell silent, Neil too flustered to purr and Max too occupied by the blue eyed beauty before him.

After a few moments of thick silence, Max spoke.

"We looked everywhere for you, you know?" he said softly, the usual fire in his voice now smouldering embers casting a faint glow.

Neil perked up, ear fins flicking forward to insure he caught every rare sound and emotion.

"I don't know how many ships we destroyed. Probably a fuck ton. But none of them had you. Neil, where did you go?" he asked, his voice sad.

Neil's fins dropped. He sighed, bubbles floating up. 

"I don't really know myself. It was some kind of... containment building. It had large stone walls and a fence surrounding a open pool of water. There were other mers there, ones who were also hurt by humans."

Neil paused for a moment, breathing out.

"There were more humans there. Kind ones. They cleaned my wounds, fed me, took care of me. There was one with the most hideous colours i have ever seen." he said, nose crinkling up at the memory.

"But..." he stopped, body beginning to tremble. 

Max gently smoothed his now raised fins, clinking softly. Neil leaned into the touch slightly, the trembling lessening.

"But... there were others. Bad humans like the ones who took me." Neil felt Max tense, a rumble forming in his throat, but Neil kept going.

"They grabbed me by the neck with a metal hoop and dragged me out of the water. I don't know what it was about them touching my neck, i cant remember, but i just... saw red. The next thing i knew, i was in a pool of blood, the taste of flesh filling my mouth. After that, i escaped back to the ocean, and the rest you know." he finished softly.

Max was still for a moment, before nuzzling Neil's neck, running his clawed fingers through Neil's thick hair.

"Neil, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'm so sorry that we weren't able to get you out of that human trap. But i want to tell you something really fucking important. But i need to ask you something first... can you forgive us?" he asked, eyes hopeful as he cupped Neil's face.

Neil smiled softly.

"There's nothing to apologize for. It's not your fault i got taken."

Max blew out a huffy stream of bubbles, but was smiling none the less.

"Well then, i guess i can tell you that really fucking important thing now." he said, a sly smirk gracing his lips.

Just as a beam of moonlight shone in and illuminated their faces, Max cupped Neil's face and kissed him on the lips. Neil froze for a moment, before melting into the kiss, smiling the whole time. Max pulled away first, looking away with a dark blush christening his cheeks.

"W-well that answers my question. Listen Neil, me and Nikki both really care about you, and would be honored if you gave us a chance to court you." he stammered out, face burning.

Neil didn't say anything for a minute, before springing into Max's arms, sending them both tumbling out of the cave. Moonlight poured over them as the two were showered by silver glittering grains of sand.

"YES! Yes yes yes!" Neil cried, burying himself in Max's muscular arms.

Max grinned and pulled Neil in closer, practically smothering him. Neil flinched when one of Max's claws brushed over the marks on his neck. Max pulled away, but paused in awe as a swirl of markings flared to life, the same colour as his eyes.

A flash of yellow along Max tail revealed similar soft yellow markings growing down the length of Max's tail. The duo stopped moving, before Max's face split open into a wide grin.

"Well, guess we're farther along then i thought. We'll be going into heat soon." he said seductively.

Neil's heart pounded a mile a second. Only one though was running through his mind.

'Thank the Ancestors i made it home!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LiVe!!!
> 
>  
> 
> Nah but seriously srry for the long ass wait, but im back son!


	11. Chapter 11 New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil gets flustered easily.

Neil's fins flared out as his face flushed. He felt his body go limp as Max nuzzled the marks on his neck, his sharp teeth grazing the pale skin. A quiet mewl escaped his lips as the hybrid licked the glands on his neck, causing Max to let out a low purr. Clawed hands gently scraped his back, making their way up to his hair, where they proceeded to gently grip his brown locks. He let out a small whine when Max's lips brushed over the angry red marks on his neck, causing him to pull back.

"Er, maybe we should wait until you're a bit better." He suggested, gently untangling his fingers from Neil’s hair.

Stopping and waiting were the LAST things Neil wanted to do right now, but he knew Max was right. He should regain some strength before they did anything too strenuous.

“Oh good, I thought you were going to mark him without me!”

Nikki poked her head in, a teasing grin on her face that made Neil flush bright red. Max huffed and grabbed Neil’s arm, pulling him out of the dark little cove he had been resting in. He gasped as he saw his surroundings.

High, sturdy walls slopped upwards, leading to a circular opening in the roof. Moonlight pored in, the pale beams casting a silvery glow into the water. Many different tunnels lined the walls, each one looking very much safe. He subconsciously began trying to discern which of them would make good nesting spots. Below him was a soft sandy floor, and behind him, just above his head, was the mouth of the cave.

Slowly, he swam up to the entrance, Max and Nikki almost right beside him. The entrance slopped downward, and a bank of land that formed a small hill stretched for about 15ft before hitting the water again. A natural guard system, one that would dissuade most mers. He let out an approving trill. Yes, THIS was a good nest. He breached the surface, shaking his head in an attempt to dry his knotted hair slightly. Nikki slid up onto the bank, folding her arms in front of her, displaying the twin seafoam green that was fading into dark blue marks forming on them. As her came slid up, he spotted a hypnotising yellow pattern on her tail, reaching down to the tips of her fins. Looking down, he could see the green marks on his chest were also fading into a deep blue, and the pink marks that were winding down his arms faded into a vibrant red.

Max disappeared back under the water, leaving just him and Nikki. Carefully, he pulled himself up beside the leopard seal mer. Nikki’s pink eyes watched him, and a hungry grin came onto her face. She pulled Neil in closer, being mindful of his wounds. She began to untangle his hair, causing Neil to slump against her. She watched as his markings continued to grow and began to anticipate what would happen once they were finished. She purred softly and licked Neil’s face, her rough tongue washing out a small cut on her lover’s face. She wanted to go further, but like she had sneakily overheard Max say, it would be better to wait until Neil was feeling better. Or until they all literally couldn’t control themselves and just started fucking each other.

Max resurfaced after a few minutes, holding an armful of fish. As if on que, Neil’s stomach grumbled, and he blushed, slapping a fin over it and looking away.

“Uh, sorry about that. Guess it really has been a while since I last ate.” He muttered, ears burning in embarrassment. Max huffed.

“No shit. Now open up.” He demanded, quickly tearing off acceptable sized chunks from one of the fishes.

Neil slowly opened his mouth, exposing his smaller, but still very sharp teeth. Twin fangs gave his mouth a sort of threatening appearance, and Max was careful not to cut his fingers on them as he placed the chunk of flesh into Neil’s mouth.

Bit by bit, Max and Nikki fed Neil, with the smaller hybrid occasionally popping a piece into their mouths. By the time they were done, all three of them were full. Neil was sleeping now, letting his body benefit from the large amount of food it had been given. Max watched as the cuts slowly began to heal themselves, and he could imagine that Neil wouldn’t need a sling for much longer.

He gently laid his head on Neil’s stomach, right where his rib cage ended. He ran a clawed hand over Neil’s belly, and smiled as he imagined it full of pups. It wouldn’t be long now, not with how well the marks were progressing. As he took a breath in, he detected a sweet smell. They would be going into heat sooner than he thought, a few days at most. He growled possessively as he thought of any other mer besides Nikki even touching Neil. Neil was theirs, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way. Pausing to lick Nikki’s cheek, he crawled across the bank, sliding down the small hill once he got the chance. He hit the water with a small splash, diving under the waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am??? alive??? this story??? isn't abandoned????
> 
>  
> 
> ?????????????????????


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